Cultivating hope for STEM college students of color through group counseling in sustainability internships

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Friday 9:45am
  In Poster Session: Counseling Poster Session A

Abstract

The World Health Organization (WHO, n.d.) defines mental health as “a state of wellbeing in which individuals realize their abilities, cope with the stresses of life, work productively and fruitfully, and contribute to their community.” Unfortunately, college students report mental health challenges can impede their academic success and that mental health support is limited (Lipson et al., 2022). One persistently expressed concern undermining their mental wellness is hopelessness about climate change (Hiser & Lynch, 2024). Herein, we report the utility of group counseling for STEM undergraduates participating in a ten week, summer sustainability internship program, drawing on constructs from Critical Race Theory in Education (Ladson-Billings & Tate, 1995), Hope Action Theory (Niles et al., 2020), and Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (1943).

Authors

• Michael D. Hannon, Montclair State University

• Anjali Badrinath, Montclair State University

• Marcus Taylor Jasmin, Montclair State University

• Wanqi Yang, Montclair State University

• Kayla Cintron, Montclair State University